Networking and keeping in contact with former colleagues gives professionals a pipeline of people that they can dialogue with while they transition into a new job. Because the changing job market has increased the numbers of working professionals who are leaving one place of employment then going on to seek part-time, full-time, seasonal or contractual work elsewhere, former colleagues are excellent resources to tap when navigating the terrain of a new job.
Important New Company Relationships
New employees should make it a point to introduce themselves to their new colleagues. Networking is a key to on the job success. The more people at the company new employees introduce themselves to, the greater their circle of information will be. This can prove invaluable over time, but especially during the early weeks at a new firm.
Ask direct supervisors for a copy of the business organizational charts. Organizational charts are effective tools that visually show key working relationships at a company. Senior managers, hiring supervisors and support staff are often listed on detailed organizational charts.
Focus on learning about the company’s history, top level structure including the people who fill leading positions at the company such as the chief executive officer, chief operational or administrative officer and chief financial officer.
Avoid Office Gossip and Become a Key Employee
The sooner a new hire becomes aware of key employees, the sooner they will be perceived as being a knowledgeable source of information. Learning who the key employees at the company are also helps build networking channels, a resource that can prove valuable over time, especially during promotional and talent management review cycles.
Avoid office gossip. A circle of gossip is prevalent in most companies. There are often rumors about company takeovers or acquisitions and mergers, company structural reorganizations, dating relationships amongst colleagues and talk about possible layoffs and hiring surges.
New employees who steer clear of gossip circles can instill trust from supervisors and other employees at the company. Over time, this might make the difference between being promoted into a more senior position that requires the employee to maintain high levels of confidentiality.
At the start of a new job, the pace of the work can at times be slow.
Use these times to learn as much about the company as possible. Refer to the company website frequently. This is a good place to find out about human resources programs like tuition assistance, retirement accounts, vacation and other time off policies, travel assistance and employee discounts.
Learning Important Facts About New Employers
The company website is also a good place to learn about charitable programs that the company supports that one can participate in, community events the company sponsors or supports and wellness and fitness programs available for employees to use on or off site at a discount.
Attend new hire orientation on the earliest available date. Many companies have members of a Learning and Development or Training team who deliver new hire orientations to all newly hired employees.
Keep contact sheets that are distributed during the orientation. Feel free to ask questions in order to become increasingly familiar with the company. Remember that everyone in the orientation is new so asking a question might help someone else to learn valuable information that they might otherwise not have become aware of.
Landing employment at a new company can be exciting and rewarding. To get the most out of the experience, newly hired employees should access company websites and ask for organizational charts in order to learn the company history, structure and in order to gain important contact information. Newly hired employees are also encouraged to introduce themselves to their new colleagues and to begin expanding their network as quickly as possible.
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